Inclusive language

Inclusive Language

First time topic was explored on mailing list. https://lists.openembedded.org/g/openembedded-architecture/topic/inclusive_language_summary/75821819

This is an attempt to collate Inclusive Language for OpenEmbedded and the Yocto Project in regards to code. This is an attempt to improve these variables, comments, and terminology to be more descriptive and also inclusive/ not offensive.

For reference: https://inclusivenaming.org/word-lists/overview/

Game play

If a BB variable has a local assignment, the rename should be transitive. Example: BB_HASHBASE_WHITELIST is changed to BB_HASHBASE_ALLOWLIST, then self.basewhitelist would become self.baseallowlist

Add an offending name in one of the three tables below. If you have a suggested replacement, please add. If the translation is approved, that will be noted in the same row. Approval process: TBD

Recommendations

Recommended replacements for 'blacklist/whitelist' are:

blacklist	whitelist
denylist/disallowlist	allowlist
blocklist	passlist or welcomelist
excludes or excludelist	includes or includelist

Exceptions

Exceptions for introducing new usage is limited upstream sources outside the control of The Yocto Project and OpenEmbedded.

Branch names, like master, are not being handled on the initial phase of this task

Classes

Repo	Current name	Suggest rename	Recommended by	Approved name
core	blacklist.bbclass	excludelist.bbclass	Armin
core	blacklist.bbclass (alt)	forcerecipeskip.bbclass	Saul

Variables

Repo	Current name	Suggest rename	Recommended by	Approved name	Developer assigned	Notes
Bitbake	ABORT	"HALT", "NO_NEW_TASKS" or "WARN"	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	abort (comment or variable)	Should be changed in the code	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	BB_ENV_WHITELIST	BB_ENV_PASSTHROUGH	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	BB_ENV_EXTRAWHITE	BB_ENV_PASSTHROUGH_ADDITIONS	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	BB_HASHCONFIG_WHITELIST	BB_HASHCONFIG_IGNORE_VARS	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	BB_STAMP_WHITELIST	remove this along with BB_STAMP_POLICY	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	BB_SETSCENE_ENFORCE_WHITELIST	BB_SETSCENE_ENFORCE_IGNORE_TASKS	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	BB_HASHBASE_WHITELIST	BB_BASEHASH_IGNORE_VARS	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	MULTI_PROVIDER_WHITELIST	BB_MULTI_PROVIDER_ALLOWED	Richard Purdie
Bitbake	basewhitelist
Bitbake	taskwhitelist
core	abort (comment or variable)	based on context	Saul Wold
core	PNBLACKLIST	See notes	Richard Purdie		Saul	For PNBLACKLIST and blacklist.bbclass, I think we need to take the opportunity to use "recipe" instead of "pn". For blacklist.bbclass, perhaps we just merge into base.bbclass and use SKIP_RECIPE[pn] ?
core	whitelist	allowlist	Saul			This could be change based on context
core	whitelisted	allowed	Saul			Context sensitive
core	whitelisting	allowing	Saul
core	SSTATE_DUPWHITELIST	SSTATE_ALLOW_OVERLAP_FILES	Richard Purdie
core	CVE_CHECK_PN_WHITELIST	CVE_CHECK_SKIP_RECIPE	Richard Purdie
core	CVE_CHECK_WHITELIST	CVE_CHECK_IGNORE	Richard Purdie
core	ICECC_USER_CLASS_BL	ICECC_USER_CLASS_EXCLUDES	Michael Opdenacker			Should be removed
core	ICECC_USER_PACKAGE_WL	ICECC_USER_CLASS_ALLOWLIST	Michael Opdenacker			Should be removed
core	ICECC_USER_PACKAGE_BL	ICECC_USER_PACKAGE_EXCLUDES	Michael Opdenacker			Should be removed
core	SYSROOT_DIRS_BLACKLIST	SYSROOT_DIRS_IGNORE	Richard Purdie
core	INHERIT_BLACKLIST	INHERIT_RECIPE_SKIP	Saul			if we drop the blacklist class, we can drop this too (RP)
core	SDK_LOCAL_CONF_BLACKLIST	ESDK_LOCAL_CONF_REMOVE	Richard Purdie
core	SDK_LOCAL_CONF_WHITELIST	ESDK_LOCALCONF_ALLOW	Richard Purdie
core	SDK_INHERIT_BLACKLIST	ESDK_CLASS_INHERIT_DISABLE	Richard Purdie
core	WHITELIST_(ANY LICENSE)					Should be removed and replaced with INCOMPATIBLE_LICENSE_ALLOWED_RECIPES, which would be a list of recipes which are of a blocked license that is now being overridden
core	LICENSE_FLAGS_WHITELIST	LICENSE_FLAGS_ACCEPTED (and BLOCKED)	Saul			Should be changed to
core	UNKNOWN_CONFIGURE_WHITELIST	UNKNOWN_CONFIGURE_OPT_IGNORE	Richard Purdie
	TUNEABI_WHITELIST					Removed

Functions

Repo	Current name	Suggest rename	Recommended by	Approved name
Bitbake	test_setscenewhitelist

Patch Files

Repo	Recipe	Current name	Suggest rename	Recommended by	Approved name	Volunteer
core	tcp-wrappers	11_tcpd_blacklist.patch	11_tcpd_blocklist.patch	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul
core	udev-extraconf	mount.blacklist	mount.disallow	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul
oe	lxdm	0001-lxdm.conf.in-blacklist-root-for-release-images.patch	0001-lxdm.conf.in-deny-root-for-release-images.patch	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul
oe	multipath-tools	022-RH-Remove-the-property-blacklist-exception-builtin.patch	022-RH-Remove-the-default-property-exception-builtin.patch	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul
oe	mozjs	0001-Cargo.toml-do-not-abort-on-panic.patch	0001-Cargo.toml-do-not-exit-on-panic.patch	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul
oe	mozjs	0004-Cargo.toml-do-not-abort-on-panic.patch	0004-Cargo.toml-do-not-exit-on-panic.patch	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul
meta-integrity	files	ima_signing_blacklist	ima_signing_blocklist	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul
meta-efi-secure-boot	efitools	Fix-the-wrong-dependency-for-blacklist.esl.patch	Fix-the-wrong-dependency-esl-file.patch	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul
meta-raspberrypi	gstreamer1.0-omx	0005-Don-t-abort-gst_omx_video_dec_set_format-if-there-s-.patch	0005-Don-t-return-gst_omx_video_dec_set_format-if-there-s-.patch	Saul Wold	as recommended	Saul

Migration

A warning mechanism will be added to bitbake to detect the issue (post processing), except for BB_ENV issues. A (limited) conversation script will be created to help with the migration. For those instances where a 1-1 mapping is not achievable, a list of the occurrences and what it should be changed to will occur.

Notes

Some upstream references:

[1][ Linux kernel]

[2][IETF: Terminology, Power and Inclusive Language: Draft v2]

[3][Why changing the terms blacklist and whitelist isn’t as easy as it might seem]